Review: South Park and Philosophy

South Park and Philosophy
South Park and Philosophy

Open Court Publishing Company
Street: 03.01

For nearly a decade now, South Park has yet to fail the general American populous with the pointed political satire of Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Sure, it started out as a method for testing the patience of the FCC with cutting-edge fart jokes, anal probes and ice cream, but in recent years the show has evolved into something more. But is the show really any deeper than political commentary and Oprah’s neglected vagina? Richard Hanley, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Delaware, seems to think so. At least, that was what I was expecting when I began to read South Park and Philosophy. Unfortunately, what is disguised as a professional of philosophy’s opinion on the controversial show, proved to be nothing more than the author’s nostalgic meanderings on his favorite parts of the show, with only bits and pieces of actual insightful information. Sure, the book is witty and does look at South Park, but it fails to bring any sort of philosophy into the picture that is anything beyond the obvious. –Ross Solomon